Working Lunch

Most of the time being an innkeeper is a lot of fun. You get to meet lots of new people, play around (a lot) on computers and with Photoshop, and make decisions like whether to add more pepper to my Clam Dip recipe or not. Sometimes, though, it can be tough, tough, tough, especially during "working" lunches when my staff and I visit local restaurants to stay up-to-date on what's current and cool here in the Napa Valley, and also network with our neighboring wineries friends. Let me tell you, this legwork and checking things out can be gruelling!

Case in point: Last week, myself, the Inn's manager, Deniese, and our marketing manager, Tim, met at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in downtown St. Helena with the Nord family. While their primary focus is on the family's vineyard management company, they also recently have released their own wine label, Nord Estate Wines. We met with the Nords both to learn the "story" behind their wines and, of course (!) taste. I'm excited to say that their wines are quite good. And here's the cool part: we're adding the Nords to our Inn-cursion wine tour program, and they're going to do their tastings in the vineyards. Fun! Anyway, just know that we're working hard, hard, hard to make your stay at our Napa Valley inn as relaxing, fun, and as special as possible.